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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28251183">I don't have a lot to give (but I would give you everything)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiromachia/pseuds/spiromachia'>spiromachia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dream SMP AUs and Cannon Divergence [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adoptive Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hybrid Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Mild Hurt/Comfort, Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Piglin Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Platonic Relationships, Technoblade Hears Voices (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, Winged Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), honestly found family is better imo dont at me, techno rejected the fd so i made this</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:55:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,255</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28251183</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiromachia/pseuds/spiromachia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"My sons are a bit of a handful, so keep that in mind. One of them's your age though, so I think you'll get along well."</p><p>"And the other?" Techno raised an eyebrow, curious to learn as much as possible before his inevitable social interaction, "How old are they?"</p><p>Phil pressed his hand to the oak wood door, sending his ally a glance, "Eleven. Play nice with him. He's a gremlin child who doesn't understand boundaries... prepare for a lot of questions."</p><p>He didn't have time to process all the information that rattled his brain as the man swung the door open, announcing loudly, "KIDS! I'm home!"</p><p>Or...</p><p>Phil reveals his family to his long time ally, Technoblade, as they flee to his home server to escape their enemies. Techno meets Philza's sons for the first time.<br/>(Title from Two Queens in a King Sized Bed by Girl in Red)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Minor or Background Relationship(s), No Romantic Relationship(s), Technoblade &amp; Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot &amp; Technoblade</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dream SMP AUs and Cannon Divergence [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149863</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1916</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Completed stories I've read, Sleepyboisinc fics that ive read</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I don't have a lot to give (but I would give you everything)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If there was one thing that Technoblade was known for, it was his ability to read people. It wasn't exactly uncommon knowledge that the man was socially awkward, as when put into a situation where he'd have to talk his way out, he'd usually resort to violence, electing to avoid social interaction in exchange for bloodshed. Violence was always a reliable constant, something he could fall back on in even the toughest of situations. The comfortable norm.</p><p>But that didn't mean he didn't understand psychology.</p><p>It was, in fact, quite the opposite.</p><p>Sometimes it would scare people, how good he was at seeing patterns in human behaviour, able to predict his enemy's movements before they even <em>thought</em> it, five steps ahead at all times. That's what terrified people. That's what made him a threat.</p><p>But <em>this?</em></p><p>"Wait- kids? You have <em>children</em>?" </p><p>Never, in all his years, could he have predicted this.</p><p>"Yeah," Phil replied with a nervous smile, wiping his brow of sweat as if he hadn't just torn the rug out from underneath his ally, "Two boys... Wilbur and Tommy. Rat bastards, the both of 'em."</p><p>Technoblade shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the racing thoughts, some belonging to himself, some belonging to his chat, who all seemed to be screaming and shouting over each other at the news.</p><p>
  <strong>'Children? Are you kidding me?'  'Even<em> we</em> didn't know that!'  'DADZA???? DADZA MINECRAFT???'  'This man has children?? Who trusted him with children??'  'Who, and I mean this as nicely as possible, would fuck this man?'  'HOW DID WE NOT KNOW THIS?!'  'God I hate children'  'I wonder how old they are'  'Wow, he really <em>is</em> an old man!'</strong>
</p><p>What a nightmare...</p><p>"You have kids? And you never thought to say anythin'?" Techno asked through huffed breaths, trying to ignore the screeches in the back of his head, the voices seeming just as shocked as he was.</p><p>He'd known Phil for as long as he could remember at that point. In the beginning, Technoblade just wanted someone strong to fight, to show off his power, his strength, but now, they were like brothers forged in blood. They'd been through thick and thin, the older man becoming something of a mentor figure for the piglin, teaching him not only how to fight, but how to survive, how to exploit, how to thrive. He liked to think he was good at reading people, so how on earth did he miss this?! How did he miss something so crucial?!</p><p>"We don't have time to talk about that now," the blond pointed out, typing a few commands into his communicator, "If we stay much longer, they'll find us."</p><p>"Won't they find us at your home?" Techno glanced behind him, lowering his voice slightly as he heard shouting in the distance. </p><p>Their enemies were getting close. Too close.</p><p>"No. It's a safe zone, I'm sure of it," Philza sighed, "I hate to resort to this, but it's the only secure place left. Who knows what'll happen if we stay?"</p><p>"Oh we both know what'll happen if we stay, Phil," the piglin grimaced ,"But you <em>are</em> explainin' how you managed to keep this from me the whole time. I'm not just forgettin' about this."</p><p>"I know," the shouting was growing louder, "I know, Techno, and I'm sorry, but now is really not the time. Hold onto my arm; I'll warp us there."</p><p>Without hesitation, the younger grabbed onto the older man's arm tightly, putting more trust in this one person than he'd ever put in anyone before, and he glanced back one last time to see an armed soldier turning the corner, but in the blink of an eye he was gone.</p><p> </p><p>Teleporting was always a strange sensation. The buzzing feeling across your skin as your body practically evaporates into the air, feeling your stomach drop in an unnatural way, like you're being thrown off a cliff but instead of falling, you feel weightless, but gravity is still pulling you down while you're moving in a completely different direction. The first few times are always sickening, causing the individual to throw up or become dizzy, usually falling to the floor.</p><p>For the first time in a long time, Technoblade felt sick after warping.</p><p>He stumbled for a moment, taking a second to steady himself and prevent the bile from rising in his throat, feeling a hand grip the underside of his arm to hold him upright. He breathed deeply, sucking in gasps of air as the person (who he assumed was Phil) continued to remain as a support beam, patiently waiting for him to calm down.</p><p>"How... how far did you <em>warp</em> us, Phil?" Techno asked through heaves, trying and failing to quell the churning of his stomach.</p><p>"Pretty far," the man admitted sheepishly, helping him straighten his back, "But we're here, and we're safe. No hassle."</p><p>"You call that no hassle? I'm literally dyin' over here," the piglin asked sarcastically, causing Phil to roll his eyes teasingly.</p><p>"No you're not. You're fine, mate. Besides, rather here than there, yeah?"</p><p>The voices started up again.</p><p>
  <strong>'I think I'm gonna throw up...'  'This place is so pretty!'  'You're all pussies lmaooo'  'Technosick'  'Imagine feeling ill... Couldn't-couldn't be me'  'He hid an entire world from us?? Mad lad'  'E'  'When did he have the time to build all of this?!' </strong>
</p><p>"You alright mate?"</p><p>Techno glanced up to see Phil staring down at him, concern evident in his eyes. He could never understand how a man so powerful could be so empathetic. It was... confusing.</p><p>"Yeah... I'm fine. What is this place?"</p><p>They stood in the clearing of a vast field of grass that seemed to stretch on for miles, continuing long over the horizon. In the distance, there was an oak wood forest nearby a small cobble and wooden hut, emitting a small stream of smoke from the chimney, surrounded by animal pens and other, similar farm structures like silos and barn houses. It was homely and quaint in a way that the Blood God would never have expected from his partner in crime.</p><p>"My home. This is where I raised my kids. Come on. It's warmer inside," Phil lead Techno towards the cottage. Up close, it looked a lot sweeter than it seemed from afar, cosier, covered in vines and honeysuckle, surrounded by thriving wildflowers that seemed to be tended to professionally. They must have seemed out of place among the beauty, covered in dust and dirt and bruises, "My sons are a bit of a handful, so keep that in mind. One of them's your age though, so I think you'll get along well."</p><p>"And the other?" Techno raised an eyebrow, curious to learn as much as possible before his inevitable social interaction, "How old are they?"</p><p>Phil pressed his hand to the oak wood door, sending his ally a glance, "Eleven. Play nice with him. He's a gremlin child who doesn't understand boundaries... prepare for a <em>lot</em> of questions."</p><p>He didn't have time to process all the information that rattled his brain as the man swung the door open, announcing loudly, "KIDS! I'm home!"</p><p>There was a loud thud from upstairs, and a muffled shout, which Techno wouldn't be too worried about if Phil's shoulders didn't tense at the noise. Suddenly, a figure appeared at the top of the staircase, nearly tripping over himself as he went, a mop of brown hair being hastily pushed out from his eyes as he started to greet the two.</p><p>"Heyyy Phil! You're back earl-" he cut himself off halfway down the steps, his eyes doing a double take at the guest, "And you've... you've bought friends."</p><p>"Wilbur," Philza used a tone that Techno had never heard him use before, like he was half scolding half trying to figure something out, "This is Technoblade, an ally of mine."</p><p>"Hullo," the piglin greeted awkwardly, having to tilt his head slightly to maintain painful eye contact with the teen in front of him. Phil had been right. The boy had to have been around his age, maybe 18 or 19, wearing a yellow jumper and crimson beanie, and <em>freakishly</em> tall, maybe around 6'4 or 6'5, an anxious smile on his face.</p><p>Techno knew, instantly, that he was hiding something.</p><p>"Techno, this is my eldest, Wilbur," Phil gestured broadly at his son, "Now. You wanna explain that noise I just heard?"</p><p>There was that tone again, but this time, it sounded more like an interrogation. Techno felt his jaw clench.</p><p>"Oh, that?" the teen tugged at the neck of his jumper in an obvious nervous habit, "Nah, it's nothing. Just me and Tommy rough housing and stuff, you know how he is."</p><p>Wow... Wilbur was an <em>awful</em> liar.</p><p>Something caught his attention, in the back of his mind. The voices were getting louder.</p><p>
  <strong>'A child!'  'I thought Phil said he only had two sons?'  'They're hiding another child'  'Tubbo in a box, what will he do?'</strong>
</p><p>Techno didn't have time to pick out the sentences properly, as Phil was raising an eyebrow in blatant scepticism. </p><p>"Uh huh... Well, I don't remember Tommy sounding like that. That sounded like someone else entirely, actually."</p><p>Wilbur gulped, the cogs of his brain visibly turning, as if trying to come up with an excuse, "In my defence, I didn't know you'd be back so soon-"</p><p>"Wil," Phil started, but he didn't even need to continue his sentence before his son sighed in defeat.</p><p>"You promise you won't be mad?" he asked, fiddling with the hem of his sweater and looking away shamefully.</p><p>"I promise, mate," his ally smiled, and Techno suddenly felt like he was intruding on something personal, "I promise. What's happened?"</p><p>"Well, you see-"</p><p>"TUBBO YOU BITCH!!"</p><p>Technoblade flinched at the loud noise, soon followed by a hefty crash. Before the warrior could even blink, Phil was halfway up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. He shared a look with the other boy, who shrugged his shoulders ruefully and followed quickly after, managing to make it up just as fast as his father.</p><p>Damn his long legs.</p><p>The Blood God arrived at the scene just in time to see Phil pull a gangly kid off a, slightly smaller, boy with a huff, basically hauling him away with a disgruntled expression.</p><p>"<em>Tommy</em>-"</p><p>"You <em>bit</em> me, you son of a bitch!" the child, who Techno now knew was called Tommy, screeched, writhing in his father's grip. The boy on the floor sat upright, a self satisfied expression on his face.</p><p>"Well maybe if you would've stopped poking me, I wouldn't have had to bite you," the other child responded from where he sat cross legged.</p><p>"I thought you were supposed to stay in the box," Wilbur hissed, but the smaller brunet just shrugged.</p><p>"Tommy started it."</p><p>"No I did NOT you mother fu-"</p><p>"Woah, woah, woah, let's calm down, shall we?" Phil interrupted, causing the kid in his arms to stop squirming with a resentful grumble, "Sorry about this, Techno. They're not usually this... <em>much</em>."</p><p>At that, all the attention was on the piglin, who shifted nervously.</p><p>"It's fine. Better here than there, as you said," he muttered, suddenly aware of all the pairs of eyes on him, scanning over him.</p><p>"Who the fuck are you?" Tommy asked. The kid had absolutely no filter, apparently, his eyes narrowing and mouth twisting in a glare.</p><p>"Tommy! What did we say about the swearing?" the blond man scolded, smacking him upside the head lightly.</p><p>Chat was as noisy as ever, maybe even louder than usual.</p><p>
  <strong>'The actual<em> audacity</em> of this kid-'  'Ohhhhh, I like him'  'That other boy's so small, he's tiny!'  'Do they even know who we are?'  'Damn, Phil has to deal with <em>this</em> all the time? I actually feel bad for the man'  'Some safehouse this is...'  ' So loud... get rid of the noise'</strong>
</p><p>He... ignored that last message.</p><p>In the time it took to sift through the thoughts, Phil had started speaking, "A work friend of mine. We needed somewhere safe to seek refuge, away from the fighting."</p><p>"'s that why he's got blood on his hands?" Wilbur asked dryly, causing the piglin to tense up. He stared down at his fingers and noticed the dried crimson under his nails, before glancing back up to the young adult. He narrowed his eyes, keeping his face perfectly blank.</p><p>This Wilbur guy was perceptive. Maybe even dangerous.</p><p>"Wilbur," Philza warned, but it seemed his son was already a step ahead of him.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah. No talk of murder in the house. Got it," he waved his hand nonchalantly, as he'd done this a million times. The piglin wondered how much the boys knew about Phil's line of work. The last remaining child looked nothing if not confused, like he was about to speak up and ask a question, but he seemed to, instead, file the information away for later.</p><p>Technoblade shifted his weight, spreading his feet apart slightly, subconsciously falling into a defensive stance.</p><p>"Alright, this is a lot of questions," Phil ran a hand down his face, "And I'm fuckin' exhausted-"</p><p>"Hypocrite-" Tommy butted in, but it seemed the man had already predicted he would, as he didn't stop speaking.</p><p>"-So why don't you explain why there's a random child in my house?"</p><p>There was a moment of tense silence, and the warrior felt his heart start beating a little harder.</p><p>He hated social interaction.</p><p>"We found him on the side of a road," Wilbur said, "His name's Tubbo. Hit his head at some point and lost his memory. We've been taking care of his until we can find his parents."</p><p>"How long has he been here?"</p><p>"A couple of days."</p><p>Phil's expression softened and he turned his attention to the bug eyed boy on the floor, kneeling down to meet his level and placing a fatherly hand on his shoulder, "You've been through a lot, haven't you, Tubbo?"</p><p>This was a side of the man that Technoblade had never seen before, showing such softness and concern that was sure to get you killed out in some of the more dangerous areas that Philza seemed to not only roam, but thrive in, sure to get you manipulated and used for any goodness you displayed. The Blood God wracked his brain. He was supposed to be good at reading people, but he'd somehow missed an entire set of personality traits that the usually chaotic man was currently displaying. Was this all a façade? Was it a trick to lull the child into a false sense of security? Was it genuine sympathy?</p><p>Did Techno even know this man at all?</p><p>"Don't worry. We'll help you as best we can. I promise," ignorant to his ally's internal crisis, Phil ruffled Tubbo's hair and helping him up with a firm hand, "For now, you can stay as long as you need."</p><p>"I- thanks!" the boy chirped, before turning his attention to Tommy, "Sorry for biting you, by the way. The poking was getting annoying."</p><p>The other kid grumbled, rolling his eyes in distaste which was obviously just for show, "I <em>guess</em> I can forgive you. Clingy bitch."</p><p>If Techno was being honest with himself, he found Tommy's vulgar mouth amusing. There was something about seeing an eleven year old curse that made him huff out a laugh.</p><p>"But you," Tommy pointed at his father, before pointing directly at Technoblade, "still have to explain why this pink prick is in our house."</p><p>
  <strong>'LMAO PINK PRICK'  'THIS KID-'  'How old is he again?'  'Punt the child'  'Guys, he's not an orphan, we can't obliterate him'  'TECHNOPRICK'  'TECHNOPRICK'</strong>
</p><p>With the attention suddenly on him, and chat mocking him internally, the piglin breathed in deeply, squaring his shoulders and raising his head slightly. He tried to ignore the sweat that threatened to drip down his neck.</p><p>The great Technoblade, made nervous by a bunch of children.</p><p>Philza sighed, standing strategically nearby, half blocking his friend with one of his dark grey wings, "We needed a place to lay low for a while. Nowhere else was safe, they already found us at the mountain base so we needed a quick and reliable get away."</p><p>"So you just let a random dude in our house?" Tommy raised an eyebrow, to which the oldest took a deep breath.</p><p>"No, no. He isn't just some random-"</p><p>"Have you been adopting strays again?" Wilbur teased, causing his father (and nearly Techno) to choke on air.</p><p>"I- wHAT?"</p><p>"Yeah, you do do that a lot," Tommy nodded in agreement, "I bet if you found Tubbo, you'd do the exact same thing as us."</p><p>"Oh my god," Phil laughed through a wheeze, "No, we're just allies."</p><p>"So he's<em> basically</em> just some random dude," the blond kid raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"Not at all," Techno spoke for the first time, causing everyone's heads to snap in his direction, but he forced himself to remain steady, "We're allies forged in blood and war. Your father is the one man I can put my upmost trust in."</p><p>There was a few moments of nothing, and Technoblade began to wonder if he said the wrong thing, before Wilbur snorted into his hand.</p><p>"Well, you've certainly found someone to match your theatrics," the brunet grinned cheekily, and Phil rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Come on, dramatics is half of the fun," Techno quipped back, gaining a laugh from Wilbur.</p><p>Suddenly, there was a child sized hand at his sword hilt.</p><p>Before he could even comprehend himself, he snatched the wrist of whoever dared to even<em> attempt</em> to touch his weaponry, only to gain a childish yelp in response. He blinked for a moment before letting go, releasing Tommy's hand from his death grip and watched him stumble back, rubbing his wrist with a snarl on his face.</p><p>"What the fuck?! What was that, dickhead?!" the boy cried out.</p><p>Phil sighed, giving Techno a reassuring look, as if to say<em> 'you aren't in trouble'</em>, "Tommy, you can't just go around touching things that don't belong to you."</p><p>"He literally tried to kill me!"</p><p>"No he didn't, you gremlin child," Wilbur responded, seeming only slightly more weary of Techno as he grabbed both of the children's hands and led them out of the room, "I'm sure dad and his friend are tired, let's leave them be."</p><p>"OI, I'm not done with you, bitch!! Fight me like a man!" The sounds of Tommy shouting slowly muffled down the hallway as he was dragged along. Distantly, Techno heard the slam of a door and then there was silence.</p><p>It dragged on for a long time.</p><p>"Well..." Techno didn't know where to start. There wasn't much that could overwhelm the Blood God, but apparently, Phil's screaming child could manage it just fine.</p><p>"Yeah, they're a lot," Philza chuckled, running a hand through his hair, "Guess I have a lot to explain, huh?"</p><p>They settled down at the dining table, warm mugs of tea in hand. The sun was getting low in the sky, the light was casting long shadows along the fields. There was something domestic about sitting at a wooden table, listening to the crackling fire and just existing in the company of the man who, for so long, had looked after him and supported him. It was strange, to say the least, being so used to fighting by the same person's side, who he now sat with in a comfortable little cottage, sipping tea and taking in the warm evening air.</p><p>They sat in calm silence for around ten minutes before chat started getting restless.</p><p>
  <strong>'Well? Are you gonna ask him?'  'I'm so <em>bored</em>'  'This cottage is so <em>cosy!' </em> 'Aww, you're getting soft, Techno'  'When can we get back to the fighting?'  'Do you think we'll see that little gremlin child again? He was funny'  'If I hear another child scream again in my life, I'll lose it'  'TECHNOSOFT'  'It's so... domestic'  'I like this. We should do this more often'  'How did he manage to keep this a secret for so long?'  'GIVE US ANSWERS!!!'</strong>
</p><p>"When?" Phil looked up from his hands with a blink, and Techno was all too aware of how rough his voice sounded, "When did you..."</p><p>Somehow, Phil managed to understand what he was trying to say, noddingly subtly, "I found Wil when he was seven," well that explained how he managed to have a eighteen/nineteen year old son at the age of twenty seven, "His parents were killed in a raid. I was... I was gonna send 'im to an orphanage once I found a nice one but... they all seemed so cruel. I guess he just ended up... sticking around?"</p><p>Techno nodded, indicating for him to continue.</p><p>"I found Tommy a couple years back. Little shit tried to steal some apples from my orchard," Phil reminisced, placing his elbow onto the table and cupping his face in his hand, "He was so small. Far too small for a child his age, he was only nine or ten, so I took 'im in, gave 'im a place to live. Guess I ended up getting attached."</p><p>Again, Technoblade hummed, taking a sip of his tea.</p><p>"And... I guess Wilbur found Tubbo a few days ago, so my little family's gone from three to four now," the blond said with a light hearted chuckle, "Although I might need to go out looking for his parents at some point. Don't want to just kidnap a child, you know?"</p><p>"I just don't understand."</p><p>At that, Phil perked up, lifting his head slightly, "Huh?"</p><p>"I don't understand how I missed this," Techno muttered, furrowing his brows and staring into his cup, "How you manged to hide this from me the whole time."</p><p>"Techno, I hid them for the sake of their safety. You know what would happen if they were associated with me, I couldn't risk it," the man replied softly.</p><p>"It's not that. It's- I'm supposed to <em>know</em> these things. I thought I knew everything about you. I know everything about everyone and I'd been around you so long I thought I-" he cut himself off sharply, "Did I ever even<em> know</em> you?"</p><p>Philza's expression softened and his shoulders relaxed. Carefully, he reached a hand across the table and placed it over Techno's, a gentle smile on his face, "Aw, mate..."</p><p>"I've known you for years, Phil," Technoblade continued, "And somehow I never figured you out. I thought I- I thought I could predict you. I knew how you thought, I knew how you acted and then you pull something like <em>this</em>. You had an entire life that I never knew about, that I never could have have even <em>guessed</em> that you had. You had enough time to raise<em> children.</em>"</p><p>There was a thick silence that hung in the air.</p><p>"Mate," the older started, "The person I am and the person I presented myself as were two different people. It's like... a double façade, if that makes sense, made to trick my enemies into believing that I'm readable, an elaborate mask that I put on to confuse those who get in my way... I never thought it would effect you too," he admitted.</p><p>"I thought I knew you."</p><p>"And I thought I knew me too, but I did some things with you, Techno, that I never would have dreamed of doing, not in a million years. I'm not a caregiver by nature, but I do what's best for my boys and if that means bloodshed then I guess that's what it takes."</p><p>"Blood for the Blood God," Technoblade chuckled, but it held no humour.</p><p>Phil shook his head again, more firmly this time, "No, that's a mantle of far too much weight that's been put on your head. You're still young."</p><p>"Well, I don't have a choice."</p><p>"Of course you have a choice-"</p><p>
  <em>"I don't have a choice Phil!"</em>
</p><p>Techno slammed his hands on the table and stood abruptly, sending his chair flying backwards and nearly knocking over his cup in the process. He could feel the voices gripping at his head, feeding off his anger, his frustration, but Phil didn't look scared. He didn't look afraid, he didn't cower in fear at the beast in front of him. No. He looked at him with concern, confusion lacing his eyes.</p><p>Foolish mortal.</p><p>"What do you mean, mate?"</p><p>"I don't <em>get</em> a choice."</p><p>"Please," Phil moved slowly, ignoring the aura of danger that radiated off his ally, "Explain to me. Help me understand."</p><p>And Techno looked into the blue eyes of his mentor, his ally, his friend, his brother forged in blood, the only father figure he'd ever known, and for once in his life, he felt seen. He felt a fleeting sense of comfort. Of home.</p><p>"I- I've never told this to anyone, Phil," he started slowly, not moving to sit down, remaining rooted to the spot, "But... when I was a child, I started-" the piglin swallowed dryly, "I started hearin' these <em>voices</em>, Phil. These voices in my head that only I could hear and they were <em>loud</em>. So, so loud that I couldn't hear my own thoughts. I know I sound insane, I know I do, but I can hear them. At first, there were only a few, but now? Now I can't even count how many there are. Thousands? Tens of thousands? I wouldn't be surprised if it were even more than that. I don't know..."</p><p>Again, he waited with baited breath, and for the first time in a while, he couldn't read Phil's expression.</p><p>Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice gave a number in the two hundred thousands. He elected to ignore it.</p><p>"What... what do they say?" the man asked in response, and a traitorous part of Techno wanted to sigh in belief. He didn't sound accusatory.</p><p>"All sorts of things. Sometimes they give me advice, valuable incite, sometimes they mock me, there's this really,<em> really</em> annoyin' countin' in my deep subconscious," he huffed out a laugh, "But most of the time? Most of the time, Phil they-"</p><p>The winged figure waited for him patiently, sympathy in his eyes.</p><p>"They demand blood, Phil," he choked out, before chuckling slightly, "And I don't know why I'm tellin' you this, cause<em> I'm</em> supposed to be interrogatin' <em>you</em> right now."</p><p>Phil gained an indescribably emotion in his expression before he shook his head fondly, "Guess we're both sharing secrets tonight, ey mate?"</p><p>"Yeah," slowly, Techno settled himself back in his seat, pressing his back against chair and slouching, "You don't think I'm crazy?"</p><p>"Techno, you wouldn't lie about something like that. Remember, I've known you just as long as you've known me," the man replied, "Besides, it explains a lot, not gonna lie."</p><p>"Like the murder?"</p><p>"Definitely the murder."</p><p>The piglin cackled a laugh, before a comfortable moment of stillness passed over them. That was one thing he could always rely on his ally for, the minutes of noiseless nothing, where they both just sat, existing in each other's company.</p><p>"What are they saying now?"</p><p>"Hm?"</p><p>"The voices," Phil specified with a curious glance, "What are they saying now?"</p><p>
  <strong>'It was nice to get it off our chest, I guess'  'I like it here. I think we should stay'  'No cap, I'd die for that Tommy kid'  'This is nice'  'This is boring...'  'We're sorry... we don't have a choice but to be here either'  'MURDER POG'  'This seat is so fucking comfy ooooh my god' </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>'If Phil cares about these kids then I do too'</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>'We should stick around'</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>'Protect them'</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>'Protect Phil'</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>'Kill them, they're useless to you'</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>'Protect them all'</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>'Return the favour'</strong>
</p><p>"Nothin' important," Techno shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the way his gut seemed to churn unnaturally.</p><p>For the first time in his life, the majority of the voices were choosing to <em>protect.</em></p><p>And he didn't know how to feel about it.</p><p>Phil raised an eyebrow, obviously unconvinced, but he didn't say anything about it, electing to take a long sip of cooled tea instead, "I'm sorry for keeping this from you, but you understand why I had to."</p><p>"Yeah," Techno sighed, rubbing his ear in between his fingers, "I get it. You'd do anything to protect 'em. Keep 'em safe."</p><p>
  <strong>'Just like<em> you</em> want to keep <em>Phil</em> safe' </strong>
</p><p>"They're little shits, but they're my little shits," the man chuckled, leaning back and relaxing in his chair, "They're gonna grow up to do great things one day, I can feel it."</p><p>"I never knew the Angel of Death could be so soft," Technoblade quipped, earning himself a soft glare.</p><p>"I don't go by that name anymore."</p><p>"I know, I know. You get to call me the Blood God, thought I might return the favour."</p><p>Philza rolled his eyes and downed the rest of his cup, before standing up to place it in the sink, "Either way, no talk of murder in the house. Not while the kids could hear."</p><p>Techno's eyes flickered behind him for a moment, practically feeling a presence tense up as he glanced in their direction. He'd known one of the brats would probably listen in, it was just a matter of who, when, and how much they heard.</p><p>He decided to ignore them.</p><p>"Sorry, Phil," the piglin nodded, turning back to face the man fully, "How much do they know?"</p><p>"They know I have to get my hands dirty, but not to the extent that I do... they don't know how much blood I've spilled..." he muttered the last part under his breath, but Techno's pig ears twitched at the noise. He didn't comment on it, "But it's fine. Both of my boys have had experience fighting, maybe... maybe even killing. I don't know about Tubbo, but Wil was covered in blood when I found him, definitely not his own, and Tommy was wanted two towns over for attempted manslaughter."</p><p>"Manslaughter? At his age? What did you say he was, nine?"</p><p>"It's a cruel world," Phil replied curtly, "These kids have all been through so much, have had to grow up faster than they should. I just wanted to give them a chance at a childhood again. Just for a little while."</p><p>Techno nodded in understanding.</p><p>"You didn't get to be a child either, did you?"</p><p>"I preferred it when you didn't ask questions," the Blood God snapped, but Philza didn't seem intimidated. He never did, just humming and going back to washing up the dishes that his kids didn't seem to have put away.</p><p>That was another thing Techno was still trying to figure out about Phil. He was never <em>scared</em> of Techno.</p><p>Most, if not all, of Techno's opponents tensed in his presence, clenching their jaws and trying hard to hide their discomfort and terror, but Phil just... never did. Since the day they'd first met, he'd looked at him with understanding eyes, like a wolf would look at a yapping puppy, as if knowing that he could beat him in a fight but never trying to show his strength. He never flinched when the Blood God growled or yelled, he was never alarmed by his terrorizing glares or bloodlust.</p><p>"I know you don't like talking about it, so I'm not going to make you," Phil said, rinsing a plate under the warm water, "But this is a safe space, if ever you want to talk."</p><p>Techno just couldn't understand this man.</p><p>After a while, Phil yawned, and for the first time all day, Technoblade noticed how tired the man seemed. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes seemed to droop in exhaustion and his movements were slowed and Techno couldn't blame him. It had been a long day of running, of hiding, of fighting and finally they were somewhere safe.</p><p>"Why don't you go to bed?"</p><p>"Techno-"</p><p>"Phil," the winged man looked up, "Get some rest. You've got your gremlins to take care of tomorrow."</p><p>"I'll take the sofa-"</p><p>"No," Technoblade interrupted again, standing up from his seat and crossing the room before removing the half washed plate from his mentor's hand, "I'll take the couch, you go to bed."</p><p>"What about you?" at least he wasn't arguing about who would take the bed.</p><p>"I'll go in a bit, just have some... stuff to sort out."</p><p>"Alright mate... don't stay up too long. You need rest as well."</p><p>"I will."</p><p>Phil took a moment before nodding, rubbing his eyes as he walked out of the room. Techno listened patiently as the stairs creaked under his weight, until the noise stopped entirely. Outside, the sun had set fully, the final remnants of light slowly vanishing from the horizon. It was quiet for a moment, as Techno waited for any signs of movement.</p><p>There was none.</p><p>"How much of that did you hear?" he asked into the air, just louder than a whisper.</p><p>There was a shuffling in his peripheral, and a figure emerged from the shadows, stepping out into the fading light.</p><p>"Enough," Wilbur replied, crossing his arms over his chest as he moved closer. He must have gotten his foolish bravery from his father.</p><p>
  <strong>'He knows too much'  'So he knows about us?'  'Oh no'  'Kill him'  'He's a liability'  'NO! He's Phil's kid, we can't kill him'  'Shut up guys'  'Blood for the Blood God'  'Jeez, he's tall...'</strong>
</p><p>"How long have you known my father?" Wilbur asked, a blank expression on his face.</p><p>"A long time," Techno said in response. The brunet raised an eyebrow, as if the answer didn't satisfy him, "...since I was a child."</p><p>"How many years?"</p><p>"I've lost count."</p><p>"How old are you?"</p><p>"Are you interrogatin' me?" the piglin didn't need to growl for the boy to tense up, "Cause I feel like you're tryin' to interrogate me, Wilbur."</p><p>"I just asked how old you were," and in his eyes, Techno could see a spark courage, a determination that wouldn't easily waiver. It seemed that Phil had raised him well, "That shouldn't be a crime."</p><p>For a moment, there was silence so tense you could have cut it with a knife.</p><p>"I don't know."</p><p>"Huh?" Wilbur blinked, as if not expecting an answer.</p><p>"I don't know how old I am," the Blood God sighed, turning his head away and ignoring the silent sigh of relief that Wil released, "I never had to count the years before."</p><p>"Do you know your birthday?"</p><p>
  <em>So many questions...</em>
</p><p>"No. It never mattered on the battlefield," he replied curtly, shrugging his cloak off his shoulders and hanging it on a peg, noticing the fact that some areas of the fabric were a dark crimson compared to the bright red, "'S not like I had time for celebrations anyway."</p><p>"Well, you can't be much older than me," Wilbur hummed, seemingly relaxing his shoulders, "So, like, nineteen? That's how old I am."</p><p>"I don't care how old you are," Techno shot back, spinning back around abruptly, "You might be the son of my ally, but that doesn't mean I have to be nice to you."</p><p>"Ally? That doesn't sound right. What happened to 'forged in blood and war'?"</p><p>"We're <em>allies</em> forged in blood and war. Don't take my words out of context."</p><p>"Still, you mean something to him," Wilbur nodded back at the staircase subtly, "You've done something to get in his good books. I want to know what."</p><p>"You're annoyin'."</p><p>"And you're a murderer."</p><p>"So is your father, your point?"</p><p>That seemed to catch the boy off guard, put he quickly recovered, "Yes, we know that."</p><p>"You don't seem phased by that fact."</p><p>"It's not exactly uncommon knowledge. Besides," Wilbur sighed, "We've all done something bad in our lives. Just depends on if you, how you say, take it out of context."</p><p>Again, silence swept the room, before Techno shook his head with a rough chuckle.</p><p>"I can see it now," he said, taking in the look of confusion on the young adult's face, "You really are Phil's kid. Such a way with words."</p><p>"Have you ever seen that man speak? He's dreadful," the other laughed breathily, tension disbursing from his stance.</p><p>"You've never seen him rally an army," Techno shrugged before gesturing at the dishes in his hands, "You gonna help me with these? I'm gonna be honest I have no idea what I'm doin'."</p><p>Wilbur rolled his eyes before pushing his sleeves up to his elbows, "You've never done the dishes before?"</p><p>"Again, no need to on the battlefield."</p><p>"You spend all your time fighting? All of it?" the brunet asked, taking a cloth from a wrack and dunking it into the water.</p><p>"Pretty much," Techno replied, not caring that his answers were short.</p><p>"Not much of a conversationalist, are you?"</p><p>"Not really, as I said-"</p><p>"No need on the battlefield," Wilbur filled in with a smirk, "Well, soldier boy, you're gonna have to pull your weight around here if you want to stay. But if you need anyone to show you the ropes, I'd be more than happy to."</p><p>Technoblade glanced out of the window, to where the sky was beginning to speckle with stars. He'd never had a chance to look up above him, too busy on keeping his head on his shoulders, both figuratively and literally, the view blocked by soot and ash pluming from wrecked buildings, too many screams plaguing his mind to truly appreciate the sight, and for the first time in what must have been years, he felt a calming sense of ease.</p><p>"Yeah, I'd appreciate that."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>No angst in the notes babyyyyy!!! And I wasn't even tempted to add any, so you don't have to worry your heads about me adding angst in the future :) (Even though this is a one shot)</p><p>I've always been a fan of the whole, "They aren't family, they just act like it," dynamic, so I wasn't too fussed about Techno rejecting the bio-family head cannon. Wil and Tommy are still related to Phil in the lore, so we run with that lol.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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